


Between The Lines

by Wakacchanai



Category: Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Amakusa being a manipulative brat like usual, Drabble, F/M, I have bad taste in men and I'm proud, Jealousy, Mild guilt trip, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 00:21:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18324917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wakacchanai/pseuds/Wakacchanai
Summary: Ritsuka notices that Amakusa has been rather curt with Jeanne and tries to have a talk with him about it. The talk... does not go as planned, and despite the vague non-answers, she walks away flustered.





	Between The Lines

Ritsuka fidgets with the hem of her shirt, uncertain and apprehensive. The blend of metallic silver and matte grey of the walls of Chaldea gave a more clinical impression than a place to call home. Still, every couple doors down a hallway, there was a divet in the wall with a large door frame, usually propped open. A generic but homey couch, small kitchenette and table, lamp, single-stall washroom, wooden bookshelf and an outdated television set filled the room, like an area for hospital staff to rest. 

Each servant had their own personal quarters, but many of them enjoyed spending time amongst themselves in these dens too. Ritsuka herself quite liked chatting with Mash over some coffee on slower days. The only servant in this particular den, and the source of her nervous energy, is Amakusa Shirou. A cup of cooled tea sat next to an open book, his hands folded politely in his lap. Just when Ritsuka was chiding herself for wasting time being so apprehensive, Amakusa looked up and met her eyes almost instantly. He smiled and motioned for her to come in with his right hand, his left hand still in his lap. The entire display unnerved her further, always well put-together and refined compared to her frenetic energy. What a phenomena, to have summoned a servant not at their original point entered in the Hall of Heroes, but after having participated in a Holy Grail War. Sixty years worth of mastering modern human mannerisms.

"Master, hello." He greets her aloud, noticing her not moving closer.

Ritsuka drops her hands to her sides and walks further into the den, imagining it to be a lion's. She clears her throat and begins addressing the reason she was interrupting his down time, "Um, it may not be my business, but I know that you and Jeanne have a bit of a rocky history..." She had pieced that together based on their cryptic comments, anyway.

Amakusa laughs quietly, seeing her obvious guilt at enforcing the authority she rightfully held. There was never something he held back from doing as a master, nor had his previous master, but Ritsuka erred on the side of caution when it came to orders. It was cute. "It's fine, go on."

His chuckle making her feel a little more insecure, she dodges his eye contact instead of meeting it head-on. "Well, it seems like you've been harsher towards her lately, and she hasn't complained or anything but I... wanted to see what's causing the friction and if I can help." She ended up mumbling near the end. Amakusa's eyes crinkled in amusement.

"You know, of the two of us, Jeanne would have more of a problem with you meddling. She'd give you a stern talk about speaking in her place and the amount of conflict she can handle on her own." He commented, gesturing at the worn out couch. There wasn't another chair in the room; Amakusa's silent way of ensuring people left him be. This was an open invitation for just the opposite.

She frowns, leaning against the arm of the couch, and in return Amakusa shifted to face her, away from the table. Ritsuka had had her fair share of lectures from Jeanne, who had been one of her first summoned servants. "I know. That's why I tracked you down first," she admitted. "I figured that I'd talk to you about it, then use your input to suggest some things to her, and if she put two and two together, I'd have already helped the situation."

"So it's okay if she yells at you?" Amakusa decides to deflect.

Ritsuka nods, seemingly prepared for that outcome. He clicks his tongue and lets his smile fall for a bit. Yes, Jeanne had been at Chaldea for over a year before he had. The Ruler class name seemed to imply royalty, but there was actually no relation between the two. Ritsuka depended on Jeanne as if she swore fealty to her, regardless. He stretches the moment out, making a big show of dropping his eyes to Ritsuka's hands, pretending there's stray lint to pick off of her sleeve. There isn't. His hand reaches out anyway and stays over hers, warm.

"I can't help but feel a little jealous of Jeanne. I'm not at all strong in battle, and I have no healing or defensive capabilities to make up for it." He finally responds, raising his hand to brush his knuckles faintly down Ritsuka's cheek. "When you get injured, Master, I must stand back like everyone else while she comes forward to protect you. It's very frustrating." Amakusa flashes his teeth in a self-derisive grin. It wasn't the first time he bluntly admonished his skills. It wasn't fishing for compliments, either.

"Um, oh." She stutters, visibly flustered. She regretted saying that she was okay with Jeanne admonishing her now; it probably reinforced that she was superior to him. "Well, you're a valuable ally and we all count on you, no matter what. I'm sure Jeanne wouldn't want you talking yourself down anymore than I do." Amakusa blinks for a beat, smile still in place.

"I guess we both should be punished by that saint, then," he replies, his hand back in his lap. Ritsuka sees her reflection in his eyes, and thinks that she walked into the lion's mouth rather than his den. Suddenly, she feels grateful Merlin hadn't answered her summons the previous December.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fanfic for the fate/ series. :) I actually wrote this around a year ago, before command codes were added to the JPN server. Now I have a healing one on my Amakusa, but I liked the idea that Amakusa would feel jealous of Jeanne, another Ruler, administering first aid. Amakusa can be intimidating and generally gives off an untrustworthy vibe despite being all smiles, so I wrote Ritsuka to seem nervous around him. That's how I'd realistically react to someone like him IRL, despite totally adoring him through the screen. I also really like Jeanne and think it's cute that she has my room lines scolding the player. Also, I dropped some not-so-subtle hints about wanting an Amakusa Lily and Alter servant. Four's company, too, Delightworks.
> 
> If your fictional boyfriend doesn't remind you of a predatory animal, is he even your fictional boyfriend?


End file.
